Safe Care Partnership to Improve Reliability of Responses to Acute Deterioration
Teams throughout NHS Wales have begun work to improve the reliability with how they respond to patients becoming increasingly unwell.
Representatives of health boards and trusts attended the first learning session of the Safe Care Partnership’s Acute Deterioration workstream, which will support teams throughout NHS Wales to improve the reliability of their escalation systems in response to acute deterioration, making care safer.
Through the Safe Care Partnership, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement supports NHS Wales organisations to achieve national quality and safety improvement priorities.
Its Acute Deterioration workstream complements the implementation of Early Warning Scores (EWS) across all ages, which health boards and trusts are required to have achieved by 30 September 2025, with support from the Acute Physical Deterioration Implementation (APDI) Network.
During the learning session, teams shared their progress with implementing EWS and discussed the successes and challenges they had encountered. Guest speaker, Duncan Smith, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Nurse, City St George’s University of London also presented on the opportunity to use behavioural science to support the implementation of EWS, reflecting on the OPTIMISE-NEWS intervention that he developed based on research he undertook within hospital settings.
Teams also started considering potential areas of focus for improving the reliability of their escalation systems as part of the Safe Care Partnership workstream.
Dr Clare Dieppe, Clinical Lead for the Acute Physical Deterioration Implementation Network, said: “The learning session was a brilliant opportunity for teams across Wales to share their excellent progress with implementing Early Warning Scores across all ages and discuss the challenges and successes they’ve encountered in doing so.
“It was great to hear about Duncan’s work, which highlighted that although training and awareness of EWS is an essential foundation of responding to acute deterioration, a broader approach is needed to achieve successful implementation and consistent escalation. His work has given teams food for thought about the different approaches and methodologies they could consider.”
“The APDI network is very much looking forward to continuing to support teams on their journeys to fully implement the scores by the end of September, which will provide an important foundation for the work ahead to improve their overall escalation systems.”
Dom Bird, Acting National Director, Quality, Safety and Improvement, added: “Improving how teams throughout NHS Wales prevent, identify, escalate and respond to acute deterioration is a key national quality and safety improvement priority.
“Following the implementation of Early Warning Scores, we are looking forward to supporting teams through the Safe Care Partnership to improve the reliability of escalation systems within their organisations, to ensure the safest possible care for people in Wales.”
The Safe Care Partnership currently comprises four workstreams, each addressing a national quality and safety improvement priority.
Alongside acute deterioration, the workstreams are focusing on preventing deconditioning, addressing rising rates of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and supporting the establishment of effective Quality Management Systems in line with the Duty of Quality.
Visit our Safe Care Partnership webpages to find out more.